High school grads join Disney's 24-hour party

May 24, 2013

Updated April 8, 2015 11:31 p.m.

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Students from STEM Academy of Hollywood at Helen Bernstein High School leap up together wearing Mickey Mouse graduation caps at 12pm Friday afternoon in Tomorrowland. The group of friends decided to spend the 24-hour day at Disneyland as a way to enjoy an entire day together after finishing their finals this week. "We want to spend one last night together before graduating next week and leaving for college," said Jonjay Tajaran, 18. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Taking advantage of the short lines are Stephen Lisjack (left) and Tracey Merrell of Brea, on their way to ride the "it's a small world" attraction during hour two of the 24 hour Monstrous Event at Disneyland. The pair are keeping track of each hour of the 24-hour day by writing it on the back of their Mickey Mouse ears during the event. MARK EADES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Korina Dascoulias, left, and Maegan Olson, right, both of Huntington Beach, ride the tea cups at the Mad Tea Party at 9 am on Friday morning at Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

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Edgar Vazquez of Seattle, tires to get some sleep while waiting in line to enter Disneyland moments before 6 am on Friday morning for Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event. Vazquez left at 9am on Thursday and drove straight through from Seattle only to arrive just a few hours before the park opened. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

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David Pimentel of San Francisco, 11, falls asleep on his mother Martha 5pm Friday afternoon. The family from San Francisco arrived at 4am to enjoy the 24-hour event. Unable to get a hotel, the family will stay in the park throughout the entire day until 6am the following morning. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Students from the Class of 2013 at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, pose for a photograph together 12pm Friday afternoon during the 24-hour "Monstrous Summer" event. After graduating last night, a charter bus took roughly 300 graduates from Scottsdale to enjoy Grad Nite celebrations at California Adventure and the 24-hour day at Disneyland. "It's like one big 24-hour family," said Ryenn Mancuso, one of the graduates who is enjoying the day with her friends. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Students from STEM Academy of Hollywood at Helen Bernstein High School look at Mickey Mouse graduation caps at a kiosk in Tomorrowland at 12pm Friday afternoon. The group of friends decided to spend the 24-hour day at Disneyland as a way to enjoy an entire day together after finishing their finals this week. "We want to spend one last night together before graduating next week and leaving for college," said Jonjay Tajaran, 18. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

01:39 AM: Maegan Olson, left, and Korina Dascoulias of Huntington Beach wait in line for The Haunted Mansion. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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01:55 AM: Tyler woods, left, CJ Moore and Brenna Moore proved they had no shortage of strength by trying to pull the sword from the stone in Fantasyland. the trio traveled all the way from Fresno to participate in Disneyland's 24-hour summer kick-off party. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Sebastian Florido, 2 1/2, of Sherman Oaks, poses with Sulley from "Monsters University" at a new character greeting area that opened this week in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure. Employees and other guests said "awwww" as asoon as he gave Sulley a hug. "Monsters Inc." is Sebastian's favorite movie. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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05:11 AM: Maegan Olson, left, and Korina Dascoulias of Huntington Beach retrieve their belongings from a Disneyland at the end of their 24-hour theme park adventure. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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05:20 AM: A park guest catches 40 winks at the Main Street Cinema. This was a hot-spot for weary park goers during the last 24-hour party, but this time there were only ever between four and ten people crashed-out at a time. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Amanda Fuentes of El Paso bought an "Eye Scream" sundae which had a monster-shaped head made out of mint-chip ice cream from the Clarabelle's Hand Scooped Ice Cream in Disney California Adventure Fuentes was at the park for a band performance and had to leave around 10 p.m. Disneyland opened for 24 hours straight on Friday morning. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Ana Paredes, right, of Panorama City and her nephew James Bakker, 11, take a break to eat Monsters Inc. cale pops from Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure. The family arrived at 1 p.m. and planned to stay until 1 a.m. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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12;18 AM: Dylan Aleabndro (CQ), 18, left, and Nicole Eccles, 19, decided to pop into The Golden Horseshoe Saloon to recharge their cell phones. they fell asleep in the quiet of a booth. To their surprise, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies kicked-off a show just after the pair conked-out and became the butt of a few jokes during the show (which they slept through). JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Korina Dascoulias, right, and Maegan Olson of Huntington Beach try to take a nap on a Disneyland Railroad train after being at the park for nearly 23 hours. Korina had only 10 minutes of sleep the night before, while Maegan had slept about an hour during the overnight lineup before the 24 hour party started. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The viewing area for Fantasmic! was full by 8:30 p.m., a full half hour before the Disneyland show began. Employees directed visitors to walk through unusual pathways, including through the outdoor seating area of River Belle Terrace restaurant. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Marlena Rodriguez, 19 and Nick Camarena watch the fireworks display in the plaza area in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. The couple came from Riverside just for the 24 hour party, arriving at 9 a.m. Friday and leaving at 6 a.m. Saturday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The crowd gathered on the plaza in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle are illuminated by the traditional fireworks show, a staple of the Disneyland parks all Summer long. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Amy O'Donnell of Las Cruces New Mexico, left, dances with Gary Rolda of Los Angeles during the Royal Swing Ball. O'Donnell came to the park with her friend Samantha Kasper of Carlsbad. The two met swing dancing at the University of Texas and decided to check ou the dancing at Disneyland during the 24-hour party. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A couple checks out the glow in the dark merchandise at a vendor cart in the plaza in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Disneyland opened for 24 hours straight on Friday morning. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Emilee Ramirez, 14, of Moreno Valley charges her iPhone from a plug she found behind a trash can in the Jolly Holiday coffee shop. Ramirez says the plugs are usually hidden by the employees and you have to look for them. Her iPhone was at less than 10 percent charge and she was expecting a text from her mother when she comes to pick her up. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Some visitors waited for more than an hour in a line that stretched around the Innoventions building to meet classic Disney characters dressed like Star Wars characters. Goofy Vader and Donald Storm Trooper posed for photos at a station in Tomorrowland. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Conor McCasland, 5, of Covina clutched his lightsaber and met classic Disney characters dressed like Star Wars characters. Dressed like Darth Maul, the boy's father brought him especially to meet the characters, who only make rare appearances in the park. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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From left, Vicky Diepenhorst, Jennifer van Benthem, Kim Benthem and Kristen McBurney, a group of friends who drove from San Diego to enjoy the 24-hour day at Disneyland, ride the Jungle Cruise with their monster-themed hats at 1pm Friday afternoon. After loading up on an early bacon and waffles breakfast, the friends planned to enjoy rides until 6 a.m. the following morning. "We are sticking it through, or falling asleep on a bench somewhere," McBurney said, who also enjoyed the 24-hour Leap Year Disneyland celebration in 2012. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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From left, Vicky Diepenhorst, Jennifer van Benthem, and Kristen McBurney, a group of friends who drove from San Diego to enjoy the 24-hour day at Disneyland, ride the Jungle Cruise with their monster-themed hats 1pm Friday afternoon. After loading up on an early bacon and waffles breakfast, the friends planned to enjoy rides until 6 a.m. the following morning. "We are sticking it through, or falling asleep on a bench somewhere," McBurney said, who also enjoyed the 24-hour Leap Year Disneyland celebration in 2012. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Emily Harris, 18, tries on a Mickey Mouse graduation cap at a kiosk in Tomorrowland 2pm Friday afternoon. Emily, who is a senior from South Tahoe High School, came to Disneyland to enjoy the 24-hour day with her senior choir friends. Plenty of high school graduates made their presence known throughout the day by wearing Mickey Mouse graduation caps and "Class of 2013" t-shirts, symbolizing the high schools they had come from. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A Disneyland guest wearing Mike Wazowski glasses and Sully Mickey Mouse ears watches as performers prepare for the Mickey and the Magical Map show which had a 3:15pm showing Friday afternoon. The new show was only shown to Annual Passholders during a special preview event in Disneyland. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hundreds of guests fill Main Street of Disneyland at 3:54pm during the 24-hour "Monstrous Summer" event. High school graduates, regular guests and others from nearby cities and states came to Disneyland at 6am to begin a long day of enjoying Disneyland attractions, which will remain open until 6am Saturday morning. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Debbie Luttrell, left, and Jan Noble pose like monsters as a Disneyland photographer takes their photo in front of Main Street at 3pm Friday afternoon during the 24-hour "Monstrous Summer" at Disneyland. The two friends, who come to Disneyland every year to celebrate their birthdays together, found out about the 24-hour event when they arrived in the morning. They will stay until 6am Saturday morning before driving 6 hours back to Ceres, California. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Korina Dascoulias, left, and Maegan Olson, both of Huntington Beach, look to trade pins with 7-year-old Allison Gunn from South Dakota 4pm on Friday. Korina and Maegan, who had waited since 9pm Thursday night to enjoy the 24-hour day, started to get tired Friday afternoon and took a break by trading pins with other guests in Frontierland. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Maegan Olson, left, and, Korina Dascoulias, both of Huntington Beach, put away belongings in their Disneyland locker 4pm on Friday before leaving Disneyland Park for California Adventure. With the Grad Nite festivities taking place inside the other park, Maegan and Korina wanted to enjoy some attractions before certain sections were closed to other guests for high school graduates. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tatyanna Lugo of Norwalk shows off a few of her Disney pins that she was trading at 11 am on Friday morning at Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

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Cassidy Stearns, 18, left, and Aaron Schultz, 18, both of Lafayette, Colorado, wear their Disney class of 2013 caps at 7 am inside Disneyland Friday morning . The two had just graduated from high school a week earlier. The two came to Disneyland to celebrate their graduation and stumbled upon Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event and decided to attend. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

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Korina Dascoulias rides the Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! ride at 5pm on Friday during the 24-hour "Monstrous Summer" event in California Adventure. For the first time, California Adventure was also opened for 24 hours along with Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Jennifer van Benthem wears her purple monster hat while waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland at 1pm on Friday during the 24-hour "Monstrous Summer" event. Along with three other friends from San Diego, the group decided to get in the spirit by making monster-themed hats for the event, which is celebrating "Monsters University", a new Disney Pixar movie. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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At exactly 6 am Friday fireworks were launched at the front gates of Disneyland to signal the start of the "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event as a couple thousand people waited to make their way into the park. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

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Aaron Schultz, 18, left, and Cassidy Stearns, 18, both of Lafayette, Colorado, eat breakfast at 7am inside Disneyland Friday morning wearing their Disney class of 2013 caps. The two had just graduated from high school a week earlier. The two came to Disneyland to celebrate their graduation and stumbled upon Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event and decided to attend. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

Friends laugh as they camp out at Disneyland in Anaheim early Friday morning for Disneyland Resorts' Monstrous Summer All-Nighter, a 24-hour party starting at 6 a.m. Friday. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER

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Joshua Wabby sports his electric rabbit ears he created as he camps outside Disneyland in Anaheim early Friday morning for Disneyland Resorts' Monstrous Summer All-Nighter, a 24-hour party starting at 6 a.m. Friday. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER

A couple kiss as they camp out at Disneyland in Anaheim early Friday morning for Disneyland Resorts' Monstrous Summer All-Nighter, a 24-hour party starting at 6 a.m. Friday. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER

A guest wears "Monsters Inc." glasses handed out to a limited number of guests outside Disneyland in Anaheim early Friday morning for Disneyland Resorts' Monstrous Summer All-Nighter, a 24-hour party starting at 6 a.m. Friday. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER

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Eliza Stuber, 20, of Arcadia, and Steve Kokasa , 25, of Thousand Oaks, wait for the gates to open. Visitors were given free glasses related to the movie "Monsters Inc." The two will try to ride all the rides at Disneyland during the next 24 hours. RON SYLVESTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kelsey Farish, left, shows Blake Lawless, both of Brentwood, a photograph a cast member took of them on the on the Astro Orbitor at 10 am on Friday morning at Disneyland's "Monstrous" 24 hour, all night event. Farish was celebrating her 24th birthday, today, May 24th, spending 24 hours at the event. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register

Park visitors Aya Ishikawa, left and Kaori Fukushima of Japan pose for a photo at California Adventure, early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh stand in front of the Mad Tea Party ride during hour two of the 24 hour Monstrous Event at Disneyland. The couple were on their 510th day in a row visiting Disneyland on Friday, May 24, 2013. MARK EADES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Students from STEM Academy of Hollywood at Helen Bernstein High School leap up together wearing Mickey Mouse graduation caps at 12pm Friday afternoon in Tomorrowland. The group of friends decided to spend the 24-hour day at Disneyland as a way to enjoy an entire day together after finishing their finals this week. "We want to spend one last night together before graduating next week and leaving for college," said Jonjay Tajaran, 18. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

UPDATE: By midnight, Disneyland was packed inside, but the lines were short to get in the park. Disney had to close some parking areas earlier in the night. During last year's 24-hour party, Disneyland had to close the gates at night because it was too crowded.

ANAHEIM – By Friday afternoon, many graduating high school students were in Disneyland, celebrating. They were easy to spot, with their special Mickey Mouse graduations caps and colorful shirts that read "Class of 2013."

They were here, like thousands of others, for the 24-hour party playing out at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

The parks were starting to get more crowded as fans got off work and headed out for nighttime festivities. Disneyland reportedly opened up new routes to accommodate crowds.

In Disney California Adventure, patrons lined up along the Pixar Play parade route to see a new unit based on the upcoming "Monsters University" movie. Today was the first day of the float, featuring Sulley riding in front of a drum and Mike sitting on the back.

Ryenn Mancuso, 18, had graduated from Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., the day before.

"I love it," she said. "There are a bunch of high schools celebrating their graduation, and it's a really great way to meet other people. ...

"It's like one big 24-hour family," Mancuso said and laughed.

Kristen McBurney, from San Diego, arrived at 11 a.m. Thursday and hoped to stay awake with her group, riding rides until 6 a.m. today.

"We are sticking it through, or falling asleep on a bench somewhere," McBurney said.

It had all started Thursday night.

Disney officials had said the line could begin forming at 10 p.m. Thursday for early birds who wanted to be among the first to slide into the parks at 6 a.m. Friday for the 24-hours of Disney. By 9:30 p.m., 60 people were already here, waiting for the gates to open.

The first was Victor Serrano, 24, of Santa Ana. He arrived at 5:30 p.m. with one blanket to lie on and another to cover himself.

Disneyland employees brought Serrano a postcard with a message welcoming him as the first guest.

At last year's 24-hour party, he was No. 22.

"It's an experience every time you come to these events," Serrano said.

Other fans came with backpacks full of food, drinks, blankets and pillows.

Destinee Hector and Tyler Brown, both 21, of Chino brought an eight-pound box of brewed Starbucks coffee, as well as cups to share. They arrived at 6:30 p.m.

"We thought there would be more people here when we got here," Hector said.

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